Device for tuning reeds.



R HOPE-JONES. DEVICE FOR TUNING REEDS.

APPLICATION FILED .TULY15,1910.

Patented Apr. 2.2, 1913.

BEsra AILAsL-s copr' .YYOYRK, A CORPORATION or new YORK.

""'i1gs. forming a part of this specification. and to thereference-mnnerals marked am; l Tue-sent inventionrelates to reeds orl'PlPPF in which musical tones are prod by a vibrating reed or tonguc.and it for its principal object toprovide imro'v ed means whereby thereeds may be qtuc'kly and conveniently tuned. and when v once adjustedto the proper pitch will refniain'true and their liability to changewill *e duced to a minimum. Tothese and other ends the invention consincertain improvements and combina- .tioiis of parts all as will behereinafter more lly: described. the novelfeatures being ponted out inthe claims at the end of the pecification.

" In thesdrawings: Figure 1 is a side eleva onof, the lower portion ofareed organ pe showing a tuning device constructed naccordance with myinvention; Fig. 2 is a ertical sectional view thereof; Fig. 3 is arizontal sectional View taken on the line of Fig. 2, and Figs. 4, 5 and(3 are similar viewsot a modification.

l n illustrating 'my intention I have shown inconnection with the footor lower end i of an organ pipe in which the reed block or the block ofthe organrpipe. as it is sometimes called, is indi 'ated by l, 'whichisproided with the aperture 2 from which rises the pipe proper Beneath thelatter the shallot 4, which it will be understood proinjects from theblock intothe live wind chest ozt' the organaudis provided with themouth or aperture 5 through which the air escapes into the pipe.Arranged in front of this yaperture the vibrating; tongue-(3. the upperend-thereof being rigidly secured to the block 1, as by meansof a wedgeT. The tone or pitch of the pipe is controlled by the rate of vibrationof the tongue (3. and

DEVICE FOR TUNING REEDS.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 15. 1910. Serial No. 572,083.

,{Unnrnn s'riirus PATENT oF-FioE.

Qno snn'r HOPE-JONES, or NORTH TONAWANDA. NEW YORK. Assmnon TO THE RU-DOLPH WURLITZER MANUFACTURING COMPANY. OF NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

the latter is curved or curled slightly so that its lower end isseparated from the mouth of the shallot and easily influenced by the airunder pressure seeking to escape through the latter. 7

The princpal factor to be taken into consideration in the tuning of anorgan pipe of this character is the accurate and delicate adjustment ofthe tuning n'ien'i'ber, by, means of which the length of the free end ofthe vibrating tongue is controlled. and it is. therefore. particularlyessential that the tuning member. while freely adjustable along thetongue. should also be a curately held in adjusted position and not besubject to vibration. by the change in atmospheric conditions or by theslight jar or tremoling imparted to it by the vibrations of the tongue.In carrying out this feature of my invention. I have constructed thetuning member in the form of a short bar 8 which is prcferablv. but notnecessarily, circular in cross section, bearing against the tongue antextending transversely thereof. :This memher is attached to the tuningwire 9. which preferably extends through a central transverse aperturetherein and projects upwardly through an aperture in the reed block 1.In forming the aperture it may be inclined slightly at an angle to theactive face of the shallot, so that as the wire 9 is depressed toadvance the member 8 it will normally exert a slight tendency to crowdthe latter toward the adjacent face of the shallot and thus assist inholding the tongue tightly in engagement therewith. The wire 9 alsoclosely fits the aperture in the block so that it will be retained inadjusted position by the friction between the wire and the walls of theaperture. The friction thus attained between the tuning member and thereed and shallot is not su'llicient for the reeds of larger pipes. and lhave. therefore, provided a bearing member which engages the tuningmember and also serves as a guide for the latter. shown the bearingmember as composed of two arms 10 depending from the reed block 1. whichare preferably made of comparatively heavy spring wire secured to theblock by embedding their ends in apertures ll, as shown in Fig. 2. Thelower ends of the arms extend downwardly beyond the In the illustrationsI have .of the tongue.

lowest point to which it may ever be desired to adjust the tuning memberand from this point their free ends are bent upwardly, indicated at 12,and adjusted toengage in notches or recesses formed near the ends of thetuning member 8 and beyond the edges By making the bearing member in twoparts and providing the tuning member wit-h coiiperating notches it willalways be held in proper position on the tongue without other guidingmeans being employed, and the use of wires inthe form shown permits thetuning member to be held. firmly against the tongue in any adjustedposition without in any way atl'ecting the quality or pitch of the toneproduced by the vibration of the tongue. The wires also being capableofyielding slightly permits their being sprung laterally to facilitateassembling the parts in the first instance.

The advantages attributed to the arrange ment of the tuning devicesdescribed above may also be obtained by arranging the parts as showninFigs. 4, 5 and 6. This modification is one which may well be adapted forthe organ pipes having small reeds, such as those employed for producingthe higher musical tones. In the figures last referred to, the reedblock'is indicated by 20, the pipe by 21 and the shallot'by 22. Thetongue 23 coiiperating with the latter is secured to the shallot abovethe aperture therein by pins 24, the outer ends of which project intothe longitudinally extending channel or way 25 formed in the tuningmember 26, the lower end of whichas it is adjusted upwardly ordownwardly relatively to the free end of the tongue 23, will control therate of vibration of the latter, as will be understood.{\ In this termof the device, the tuning wire 27 is rigidly secured to a screw 28threaded in an aperture in the block 20 and at the lower end of the wireis a head 29 provided with an annular recess preferably V-shaped whichreceives a small projection or bearing 81 on the tuning member 26. Itwill be noticed that the axis of the screw 28 may be made to extend atan angle to the direc-' tion of movement of the tuning member so thatthe wire 27 is always under a tension to force the tuning member.against the tongue in whatever position of adiustment it may be.

Tuning devices constructed in accordance with my invention are simple inconstruction, may be manufactured cheaply and readily assembled. It willbe observed that the tuning. member is adjusted upwardly or downwardlyto produce the desired variation in the rate of vibration of the tongueand that in all positions of adjustment it is held firmly against thetongue. Furthe the arrangement of the parts and their shape such thatduring the adjustment of the tuning member neither the tuning wire normasses the bearing member, or members, are distorted sons to bedisplaced out of their normal positions and thus subjected to strainscausing them to temporarily exert more than the normal predeterminedpressure upon the tuning member. When any of the parts are distorted atthe time of adjustment an unnatural strain is imparted to them whichwill give way, or grow less, under the vibrating influence of thetongue, causing the tuning member to change its position.

The above devices are applicable to reeds ofall kinds whether furnishedwith resonating pipes or not.

I claim as my invention:

l. in a device for tuning sound producing reeds, the combination with ablock, a shallot and a tongue, of a tuning member engaging the tongue,and means for adjusting it on the tongue and a bearing member supportedon the block having a portion extending parallel to the line of movementof the tuning member and cotiperating therewith to yieldingly hold thetuning member against the tongue in its various positions of adjustment.

2. In a device -for tuning soundproducing reeds, the combination with afoot block, a shallotand a tongue, of a. tuning member engaging thetongue, a tuning wire passing through the block and connected to saidmember and an arm depending from the block and holding the member in itsadjusted position on the tongue.

3. In a device for tuning sound producing reeds, the combination with ablock, a shallot ,and a tongue, of a tuning member engaging the tongue,and extending across theiace thereof, a tuning wire extending upwardlyfrom said member and passing through the block'and a pair of spaced armsdepending from the block and engaging the ends of the tuning memberitohold its inter' mediate portion against the tongue.

4-. In a device for tuning sound producing reeds, the combination ,witha block, a shallot a tongue, of a tuning member extend ngacross the faceof the tongue, havmg guiding recesses spaced apart, a tuning wire foradjusting the member'and a pain of wires secured in the block and lyingin therecesses to form bearing guides for supporting the tuning inemberand holding it in firm engagement with the tongue. 5. In a device fortuning sound produciilg reeds, the combination with a block, a shallotand a tongue, 01 a tuning member extending across the face of thetongue, a pair of wiressecured in and depending from the block havingtheir extremities bent upwardly in front of the tongue and engaging thetuning member and means for adjust; ing the latter.

6. In a device for tuning sound producing reeds, the combination with ablock, a

" shallot'and 21. tongue, of a tuning member from the block having itsextremity bent m ovable longitudinally of the tongue, a, tunupwardly andengaging the member to force wiresecured to the member and adjustitlaterally against the tongue. a e in anaperture arranged in the block atROBERT HOPE-JONES. '5 an angle to the direction of movement of theWitnesses:

member to ea'use the letter to be forced GEORGE W. POUND, toward thetongue, a bearing wire depending EDWARD L. JUNG.

